NBA Odds, Best Bets and Expert Picks

Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks Best Bet

Knicks -6 (-112) at FanDuel

These two teams meet again after setting NBA basketball back a few years on Sunday. The Sixers beat the Knicks 79-73 Sunday in what has to be the lowest scoring game of the NBA this season. It was the fewest points scored by the Knicks since 2018.

New York is 37-27 overall and fourth in the East. They have been holding on while Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson are all out with injuries. The good news is Anunoby should be back this week, but not tonight.

The Sixers don’t want to hear about injuries. They’re 10-20 without Joel Embiid but still in sixth place in the East. Tyrese Maxey missed the last four games with a concussion, but should be OK for tonight.

The Knicks will be ramped up after Sunday’s debacle and still have Jalen Brunson, the best player on the floor.

Indiana Pacers at Oklahoma City Thunder Best Bet

Over 240.5 (-115) at BetMGM

I have to get back to doing what I do best with our NBA picks and that means picking overs. I got suckered into some under picks last week…and that’s just not my thing.

When I saw this number, I jumped all over it. The Pacers lead the NBA with 123.1 points a game, while the Thunder are third in scoring. OKC has risen to the top of the West at 45-19 and won three in a row. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become an unstoppable player in the NBA. Indiana did lose reserve Bennedict Mathurin for the rest of the season with an injury. He’s been good for 12 points a night.

Indiana is 33-32 over/under this season while the Thunder are 36-27-1. There’s way too much offensive talent on the floor for this one. Both teams like to score and get after it. I see this was one of those old-school NBA shootouts, probably 70-68 at halftime and an easy over cover.

Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs Best Bet

Rockets +4 (-112) at DraftKings

Houston had been hanging on to the fringe of Play-In Tournament contention at 29-35, five games back of Golden State when they lost star center Alperen Sengun Sunday night to an injury. Sengun has been - quietly - one of the breakout stars of the NBA this season. Think of him as Luka Doncic Lite, with 21 points and nine boards a game.

Sengun had 45 last week in the Rockets win over the Spurs. Now they need Jalen Green to step up and provide some scoring.

The Spurs are 2-8 in back-to-back games. They lost to the Warriors Monda night by 10. Victor Wembanyama has been a fun watch for the Spurs, but man, he’s really all they got. San Antonio is a bad defensive team allowing 120 a night, they don’t shoot threes well and they don’t defend the arc well either.

This is a tough call without Sengun, but the Rockets are still better and have something to play for.

By:Darren Cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.

All Reviews by Darren Cooper